Secretary of State Celebrates 2018 OCC Commencement

May 22, 2018

SOURCE: MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF STATE -- Lansing, Michigan -- Secretary of State Ruth Johnson delivered a heartfelt commencement address at
two Oakland Community College graduation ceremonies on Saturday, May 19, in Rochester,
Michigan.

Johnson, an Oakland Community College alumnus, spoke to 4,800 attendees, including
graduates, guests and faculty, recalling her college days as a “great life experience.”

“You may not realize it or feel the full weight of it, but today, the trajectory of
your life just shifted,” Johnson told the graduates. Today, the road you are traveling
just got wider … your options are now exponentially greater than they were just hours
ago.”

Johnson spent two years at OCC’s Highland campus, earning an associate degree in 1975
before going on to earn subsequent degrees from Oakland University and Wayne State
University.

Throughout the commencement address, Johnson stressed the importance of individual
ingenuity, civic involvement and self-reliance.

Johnson’s introduction into public service began with her efforts to protect groundwater
in her hometown of Waterford. Her journey to Lansing included tenures as an Oakland
County Commissioner, State Representative and Oakland County Clerk. She was elected
Michigan Secretary of State in 2010 and is currently serving her second and final
term.